El Salvador
El Salvador, officially the State of El Salvador (Spanish: Estado de El Salvador, literally "State of The Savior"), is a country in Central America bordered by Honduras to the northeast, Guatemala to the northwest, and the Pacific Ocean to the south. A mountainous country, it is the smallest and one of the most densely populated states in Central America with around 1.6 million inhabitants. El Salvador is currently under the tight grip of a far-right nationalist military dictatorship. Although the coastline along the Pacific Ocean is long relative to its size, El Salvador has almost no seafaring traditions. Its capital and largest city is San Salvador. History General Maximiliano Hernández Martínez's coup as vice president against the Labor Party and President Arturo Araujo in December of 1931 brought immediate strife to the nation, with a true restoration of democracy being ended right as it began. The cause of this coup was an alarming salary cut for the military in favor of the police, which helped Martínez gain support from a small amount of the population. With his policy of suppressing all opposition, the militarization of the state, and banning all other parties from elections besides his National Pro Patria Party, Martínez managed to consolidate his grip on the nation. While the extremist policies were effective at first, the tensions in the country boiled over when on May 16, 1932, a popular uprising against the dictatorship had begun. The cause of the 1932 Salvadoran peasant massacre can be traced back to Martínez enacting policies against the natives in the west. Provoked by the revolutionary activists Farabundo Martí and Feliciano Ama, the natives they commanded were initially poorly equipped but had extreme fervor in their wish to transform El Salvador's society along the socialist lines. Whilst initially not a threat in itself, the success of the Nicaraguan Revolution championed by Augusto César Sandino flocked an increasing number of people to the rebels' side and Emiliano Zapata's victory in the Mexican elections meant that guns and ordinance could be supplied to the rebels. The revolt managed to last until January 22, 1933, ending with 70,000 dead and the rebel leaders Ama and Martí retreating to socialist Mexico. Partisans are not an uncommon sight within El Salvador with Martínez's regime being despised by a significant portion of the population, especially over his decision to dissolve the republic as a result of the conflict. The insurrection has left a stain on Martínez's administration and the memories of the massacre are still fresh on people's minds. Not only that, but the way the president handled the rebellion has caused disloyal elements of the military to emerge, and the regime is only holding on due to the tight grip the Americans are holding on the government. Politics El Salvador is nominally a unitary presidential representative democratic republic with a multi-party system but in reality, the democratic principles have been all but erased and the republic ceased to exist after the violent crackdown on the revolutionary uprising. General Maximiliano Hernández Martínez’s coup of the Salvadoran government in 1931 led to the establishment of a military dictatorship. His tenure as the president of El Salvador has resulted in the complete suppression of any opposition and abolishment of the minor welfare reforms made by the former President Arturo Araujo. President: Maximiliano Hernández Martínez Foreign Minister: Salvador Pena Trejo Minister of Finance: Joaquin Valdez Minister of the Interior: Fidel Cristino Garay Minister of Justice: Anibal Portillo Minister of War: Input here. Military El Salvador has not had a major war in decades as the American Monroe Doctrine keeps Central America peaceful and non-hostile to the best of its efforts. Army The Salvadoran Army consists of two brigades, both fairly small. Navy El Salvador has no naval traditions and thus has no way to project power overseas. Air Force The Salvadoran Air Force is comprised of eleven antiquated fighters, with pilots having minimal training. Foreign Relations El Salvador has friendly relations with the military governments that surround it, namely Guatemala and Honduras, as well as cordial relations with its protector, the United States. El Salvador has unfriendly relations with its socialist southern neighbor Nicaragua, as well as nearby similarly socialist Mexico. Economy The economy of El Salvador is mostly reliant on cash crop exports to other nations in the Western Hemisphere. There is little industrialization, though that may change depending on who succeeds in El Salvador's power struggle. Even now, the country is suffering from the Great Depression, the effects of which can still be felt a decade later and the economy is ill-equipped to withstand another possible stock market crash. Culture Input here. See Also *Emiliano Zapata *Guatemala *Honduras *Mexico *Nicaragua *United States Category:Countries Category:North American countries